Woodlands VFW hosts fundraiser featuring youth banjo band

Carrie Thornton

Published 10:00 pm, Sunday, January 22, 2012

Photo: Staff Photo By Carrie Thornton

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Morgan Terrel, member of the All Stars Youth Band at Sagemont Church in Houston, plays “Edelweiss” on his banjo at Banjos on Parade, presented by The Woodlands VFW Auxiliary Sunday at The Woodlands College Park High School. All proceeds benefited The Woodlands VFW. less

Morgan Terrel, member of the All Stars Youth Band at Sagemont Church in Houston, plays “Edelweiss” on his banjo at Banjos on Parade, presented by The Woodlands VFW Auxiliary Sunday at The Woodlands College ... more

Photo: Staff Photo By Carrie Thornton

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Buddy Griffin, director of the All Stars Youth Band from Sagemont Church in Houston, addresses the audience between songs at Banjos on Parade presented by The Woodlands VFW Auxiliary Sunday at The Woodlands College Park High School. less

Buddy Griffin, director of the All Stars Youth Band from Sagemont Church in Houston, addresses the audience between songs at Banjos on Parade presented by The Woodlands VFW Auxiliary Sunday at The Woodlands ... more

Photo: Staff Photo By Carrie Thronton

Woodlands VFW hosts fundraiser featuring youth banjo band

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THE WOODLANDS — A generation of young people performed in support of generations of men and women who served as military members in foreign countries during the Banjos on Parade in The Woodlands Sunday.

The Woodlands VFW Auxiliary #12024 hosted its second-largest fundraiser featuring the All Stars Youth Band, with members 7-17 years old, at The Woodlands College Park High School.

The group hopes to raise a few thousand dollars from the event and expects the total to be marginally less than previous years.

“It was a lower turnout than usual,” Ison said, “probably because it’s right after the holidays and it’s football season. But donations have still been low because of the economy. It is what it is, and we’ll make our dollars stretch.”

By hiring the youth band, Ison said the auxiliary is able to support youths and the VFW cause at the same time. It promotes activism among young people and hopefully inspires audience members.

“We are encouraging them to encourage kids to stay active in their communities and show them students and kids who care,” she said. “It’s all about the kids. We do this for them and their veteran family members.”

The band, from Sagemont Church in Houston, consists of about 70 members. But band director Buddy Griffin brought only a portion to the concert. Normally, the troupe includes dancers and other various instrumentalists. Despite the size difference, Griffin believes the group makes a great fit for the event.

“We sound good, and old people love it,” Griffin said. “It’s the music they grew up on. I really enjoy making people happy, and I feel like we did that tonight.”

The band’s size difference didn’t seem to affect audience members either, who were impressed by the band’s sound and professionalism.

“We loved it,” said Shannon Shoemaker, who attended with her family in support of their veteran family members. “It was a lot of fun with a lot of talent. The kids really loved it.”

Because her veteran father recently passed away, Shoemaker said it was important for her to attend the event and offer her support to the veterans still living. Her father even owned a banjo and used to play it for Shoemaker’s children, ages 3 and 7, who attended the event with her.

“Papa was better,” said Paden Shoemaker, the older of the two, with a sheepish grin on his face.

In spite of a lower-than-normal attendance, Ison said she is pleased with the event and expressed how important she believes it is to continue and honor veterans.

“These guys and gals have sacrificed a lot for our country and it’s not so hard to sit out here for an hour or two (during a concert),” she said. “We don’t want to forget them.”